


Aubade

by Queentacosaurus101



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: All times of day, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Relationships, Break Up, Break Up Talk, Breaking news: Local heroes realise that they're gayer than they intially thought, But idk where it came from or where it went, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Hurt/Comfort, I feel like this isn't even a Rarepair or a ship at all but OH WELL HERE WE GO, I say as I add more, Identity Reveal, Implied Love Square reveal, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Miracle Queen didn't happen as I kind of forgot what exactly went down in that episode, One Shot, Post-Break Up, Requited Love, Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion, Sunrises, Sunsets, That goes for Alya too, The amount of times I've nearly accidentally posted this is unreal, There isn't that much angst but I thought I should tag it anyway, There might be a light sprinkling of salt here and I apologise for that, There's way too many tags for this lmao, Turtle Nino Lahiffe | Carapace, Why are there so many tags??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 09:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23469058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queentacosaurus101/pseuds/Queentacosaurus101
Summary: "You were right..." Carapace murmured, turning to appreciate the sunlight slowly spreading around Viperion."Oh? About what?" Viperion asked, though the pleased smile gave away he already knew the answer.Carapace replied anyway, grinning right back. "The view is beautiful up here."[Nino meets another musical soul and falls in love.]
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Carapace/Luka Couffaine, Carapace/Viperion, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Luka Couffaine/Nino Lahiffe, Nino Lahiffe/Luka Couffaine, Viperion/Nino Lahiffe, past Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 7
Kudos: 27





	Aubade

Nino stumbled to a stop, gasping for breath while he helplessly watched Alya dash around a corner. His entire body -from his legs to his lungs- was burning yet there wasn't much to show for his efforts in documenting the latest akuma. They had barely managed to snag one more shot of Ladybug mid-battle before the heroine swung off again with Alya in hot, unrelenting pursuit. His shirt was faintly soaked in sweat, clinging awkwardly to him. His chest heaved twice before he straightened up and pushed on. You wouldn't think he was a superhero upon seeing him in this state. 

He caught up to Alya as she stood on the corner of a street, arms crossed so tightly that Nino could have sworn they shook. He took one look at her glare before casting his eyes to the pavement, fixing them there as she spoke to him. 

"We missed her again."  
  
A well-worn trainer scuffed the ground anxiously. "I think you got some good pics there, babe." 

Alya sighed. "Nino, we're better than this. The Ladyblog has been running for a year now. We should be able to get more than 'some good pics'." 

"I dunno. Better than nothing, right?"  
  
The way Alya sharply inhaled told Nino that he had just given a wrong answer. 

"Nino, we train all of the time. How did you fall so far behind?" She demanded, uncrossing her arms to firmly place hands upon hips. 

Nino gnawed at the inside of his cheek, fully aware that Alya was gearing herself up for a debate. Neither of them liked to call it arguing.

"Sorry Al, I guess I'm not used to running for so long. I mean, most of our training is dodging and-" 

"That's not the point, Nino!" Alya snapped. Her eyes briefly closed as she recollected herself, turning herself away from him ever so slightly. 

"We're supposed to be a team. You should be able to keep up. We're gonna have to get you up to speed a bit." She suggested, frowning deeply at her boyfriend. 

Nino bit his tongue and simply nodded, not wanting to add his curt thoughts on the matter. Like the fact that he believed it was because he wasn't usually the one recklessly chasing after akumas in the hopes of getting a post-fight interview with the heroes. Or the fact that their training was usually during their dates which were becoming increasingly interrupted by Hawkmoth's villain-of-the-day.

Like this one.

Nino pushed on a small grin and said "Hey, how about we head to André's and I get you some ice cream? Maybe we can try getting our alter-egos again."

Her lips twitched, though Nino couldn't tell if it was up or down. "Alright." 

They didn't bring up how disappointing the afternoon had been but it still plagued Nino's thoughts even after he had walked Alya home. By the time he got to his, it was empty. Mère had work and Chris was at a boys' sleepover with one of his school friends which was more than fine with Nino. Sneaking out to go on patrol would be easier. That night, fortunately and unfortunately enough, he wasn't on patrol with Alya.

Chat Noir was nice enough but a little too nosy once he noticed Carapace's low mood. 

"I'm fine." Carapace insisted when asked, tightening his jaw. "Just... There's nothing to worry about. It's personal stuff between me and Rena." 

Chat had simply hmm'ed and changed topics after that but Carapace could tell that the other hero wasn't satisfied by the answer he had gotten.

Wayzz, his kwami, brought up Alya and Nino's dynamic a few hours later (in his own way with the question "You and Rena Rouge are together, correct?") and Nino did his best to explain it to a powerful being with hardly any knowledge about human emotions, let alone relationships. The conversation went as well as you'd expect.

Nino knew that the matter would inevitably resurface. He just hoped that it wouldn't be for a long while yet. 

* * *

"I'm sorry if I'm prying here but are you and Alya... okay?"

Nino, pinching the bridge of his nose to keep the tears at bay, supposed the question was bound to come up sooner or later. He was almost thankful that it had come from Adrien, who sat cross-legged on the opposite side of the bed. Nino gazed at the pattern of his duvet, running slightly damp fingers over all the creases and prodding them as he allowed silence to drag on.

"I don't think so." He said after a moment or two. 

Adrien nodded slowly and squirmed slightly with his eyes downcast. He opened his mouth, brow furrowed, and then closed it. He did this once every few minutes before he eventually managed to say "Do you want to talk about it?"

Nino moved closer as he replied "I guess so."

Their science project -also known as the only reason Adrien's father had allowed him out of the house- lay abandoned and barely started on Nino's desk in favour of the latter venting the feelings that had been building up the month prior and, upon reflection, even longer. He ranted about the debate Alya had started and the fact that their dates weren't really dates anymore (obviously leaving out the fact they were also superheroes despite the temptation to talk to Adrien about that part of his life niggling away at his brain). Adrien listened attentively, chipping in with advice when he could.

"I get that we should all be aware of akumas but she recently she's been acting like there's always one around the corner. Yeah, Hawkmoth's dangerous but he has to detransform at some point, right?" Nino grumbled, tightly gripping his knees as he remembered the glare Alya had sent his way. 

Adrien rested his chin on his hand in thought. "Do you think Ladybug and Chat Noir have something to do with it? Perhaps they said something."

An expression crossed Adrien's face but Nino couldn't tell what it meant, only seeing it out of the corner of his eye and it was gone when he turned to look. 

"Well, they warned her to be careful but, like, still live as normally as possible. Ugh, maybe I don't get it because superheroes are still new territory for me." 

Adrien raised his eyebrow slightly. "I think they're new territory for everyone." 

Nino made a face before he shot back "You get what I mean. Alya's a much bigger fan of superhero comics and stuff. I'm more of a sci-fi kind of guy, you know?"

"Yeah. Have you... Have you told her how you feel?" Adrien questioned, cringing mid-sentence. 

Nino went quiet again, gaze falling on the photographs of him and Alya clipped on strings pinned to the ceiling. Each one was plagued with wide smiles, flushed faces and conjoined hands made from teenage bliss in such an earnest way that Nino briefly wondered when they had last taken a picture that wasn't for Alya's blog. He tore his eyes away when he found no answer. "I've thought about it, I guess, but I feel like it'd cause drama between us and well... I don't really like that." Nino answered, fiddling with the colourful bands on his wrist. 

Adrien drew in on himself as he struggled to state "Nino. If... If you don't say anything-"

"I'll make it worse." Nino finished, rubbing at his eyes again. Adrien looked ready to apologise, reaching forwards and eyes wide in alarm, but Nino interrupted quickly. 

"I get I should say something but you know me, dude. Conflict and resolution isn't really a strength of mine." He winced, forcing a laugh. 

Adrien gently nudged Nino with his foot. "Hey, you're not that bad." He half-joked, managing to get Nino to smile a little before it fell again. 

"What if I talk to her and we...?" Nino whispered, trailing off. Adrien understood regardless, moving to place a consoling hand on Nino's shoulder. 

"What'll be will be. The best you can do is hope for the best. Chances are that Alya is in the same boat you're in. She'll wanna talk to you about it and hey, if things do come to an end, at least you guys tried. You two will work something out. It'll be hard but you guys have got this." 

Nino's shoulders untensed. While he wasn't fully on board with the idea, he was at least comforted by the fact that Adrien had his back. 

* * *

Nearly two months went by with nothing else of the situation happening until Nino rang Adrien one evening. 

"Nino! What's-" The sob on the other end made Adrien silence his cheerful greeting. 

"It's over, Adrien. We..." 

"I'll be round in five minutes. Sit tight." He replied.

Nino lowered his phone and heaved a sigh, wiping his eyes. Wayzz patted his holder's hands as best as he could for something so small, nuzzling the wet cheeks gently before he hid himself under the red cap.

What felt like an instant after their call, Adrien arrived, hauling an overnight bag and murmuring "My father won't notice. Besides, my best 'bro' needs me."

Nino gave a watery smile as thanks, a little too choked up to form proper sentences. 

* * *

The talk with Alya had happened after all.

For such a gloomy occasion, it was a fairly good day. The sun was out, though its shinning rays weren't helping the cold air. The two of them sat together on a bench in the park but not closely, like the way they did in their first few months. Neither one could bring themselves to eat their ice creams from André, pushing the melting scoops around the containers with the spoons. Alya, not being able to take the stillness between them any longer, cleared her throat and said "I'm assuming we're on the same page and both know why we're here."

Nino swallowed. "Yep."

"Cool." Alya responded, averting her eyes. She gingerly shovelled some of her dessert into her mouth before continuing. "So ... Things aren't going too well, huh?"

Nino copied as he replied "Not really."

Alya's lip wobbled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so blunt and-"

"No, no, it's fine. We're being honest here, Nino." Alya insisted gently, letting out a small sigh as she ate another spoonful. 

"Right. It's just... I don't know what to say." 

"Whatever you need to." 

"Okay. I feel like you're taking the hero thing too seriously." 

Alya frowned but didn't disagree. Instead, she asked "How'd you mean?" 

"Like, I love how enthusiastic you are when it comes to Ladybug and stuff but we only seem to do superhero things together. We train on our dates and we tell our parents we're on one so that we can patrol which isn't necessarily a bad thing but when's the last time we actually went to the cinema instead of using it as an excuse?"

Alya nodded, prompting Nino to add "I probably don't take it as seriously as you, too."

There was a light snort. "Yeah but, hey, that's just who you are, right? A chill dude." 

Nino shrugged. "That's kinda because I believe the big battle isn't gonna happen for a while yet."

"I guess that's fair." Alya's spoon was returned to the container, slowly sinking under the layer of oranges. 

"Your turn." Nino joked weakly. 

"Well, I think we've kind of... fallen out of love?" Alya mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut. 

Nino's stomach lurched but only because what Alya said had felt painfully true, resting between each thud his heart made. Alya hung her head, causing Nino's gaze to be yanked over to her. Briefly, he marvelled the way her hair seemed to burn in the sunlight, reminding him astutely of the fact that Alya was very much like a flame. A flame ignited with so much passion that Nino couldn't handle it as well as some others could. 

"Ah." He remarked, feeling he needed to say something. 

"God, I don't know how to explain it but we've felt off for a while. We argue more than we have before and hey, maybe it's an 'After-Honeymoon-phase' thing. Then again, our entire dynamic wouldn't have changed that much if it was the case." 

There was a beat. 

"I get it." Nino mumbled, finding his shoe grazing the floor of its own accord. 

"Yeah..." Alya trailed off, blinking back tears. 

After licking away the dryness of his lips, Nino admitted "That day we were at the zoo, I wasn't there to ask Marinette advice about you..." 

"Why were you...?" Alya started to inquire before the answer hit her, based on the way Nino had abruptly turned so that she couldn't see the guilt weighing down his face. 

Another beat.

"Oh." Alya uttered. 

"I did really like you, Al. We just sorta happened, you know? I realised I was developing feelings for you too and, well, we agreed to give it a shot." Nino stated, squashing the remnants of his mint chocolate-chip scoop. 

Alya's face softened. "I know. I think we probably rushed into things. We went right into a relationship without figuring out where we should have gone like giving you time to figure out if you were actually over Mari."

"I dunno. You weren't a rebound though, if that's what you're worried about."

Alya brushed a stray tear from her cheek. "'Aside from all of that, it's been a good run." 

Nino nodded. "Heh, yeah. So ... This is it?" 

"I think so." 

Then one more beat before Nino spoke again. "I'll miss you." 

Alya smiled sadly. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere, Cappie. I'll still be there for you." 

Before she left, Alya patted his arm comfortingly. It lingered the way a slap would've. 

* * *

Being around Alya was definitely awkward, especially when the class caught on to what had happened which made it slightly worse. Sympathetic glances kept being sent his and Alya's way. People avoided PDA around them despite the pair insisting "We're fine, honest."

There were a few quiet questions rippling their way through the student body such as "Which one of them called it quits?" though none of them could ask, treading lightly like one would around smashed glass. It was quite exhausting to constantly hear condolences and well-meant but often questionable suggestions for rebounds.

"Hey, I just think you and Wayhem would be-"

"Kim, for the last time, thanks but that's another person who only has eyes for my dude, Adrien."

Thankfully, Adrien and Marinette treated them the same as always, though perhaps that was because they already knew. Chloé was the only other person but Nino supposed she didn't care all that much. Regardless, Nino was still grateful to have some semblance of normality, especially given that it had been three months or so since the break-up had happened. It was why he readily agreed to Marinette's suggestion that he attended a Kitty Section rehearsal with her, Adrien and Alya. 

"I figured since you're into music, it'd be a good idea." She admitted with a shrug.

"You have a lot of good ideas!" Adrien complimented, causing her to blush and smile. 

"Thanks." Marinette managed to say and Nino proudly noticed she didn't stammer. 

He also noticed that Luka was the only member of the band aboard the Liberty, lightly strumming his bass as he tuned it. Once he saw the four of them approaching, the musician waved, pick still in hand. "Hey. The others are just coming. There's snacks and stuff out so just help yourselves, though you'll have to wait for Jules to get here if you want sweets. Thanks for coming by the way." Luka greeted, slinging his instrument to his side as he walked over.

"Of course!" Marinette replied, chipper. The girl then revealed some baked goods she had brought along in her backpack, placing them upon the table with a little tune. Adrien, noticing with glee, hurried over to help. Marinette squeaked as he said something to her, accidentally brushing their hands together as they both reached for the same container.

Alya sighed, smirking a little. "Poor Adrien, he's absolutely oblivious. Though I guess Marinette has gotten better at talking to him." She noted. 

Luka nodded, watching the scene unfold with a grin. "Yeah, she has." 

Nino snorted as he watched _Paris' Golden Boy_ swipe a croissant while Marinette was busy ducking her head into her bag to cover her red cheeks. However, she caught Adrien stuffing it into his mouth and chastised him whilst giving him a gentle punch in the arm. The pair burst into giggles and Alya rolled her eyes as she declared "I'm going over to help them out or we won't be seeing any of Mr and Mrs Dupain-Cheng's hard work." 

Luka had gone back to plucking his bass strings and Nino found he was struggling to come up with something to say in order to start a conversation. It wasn't that he didn't like Luka. The guy was pretty chill and all but he was more of Marinette and Adrien's friend than his. The most Nino knew about Luka was that he was in Kitty Section and that he was Jukela's older brother. Even then, that wasn't enough to strike up some friendly chitchat. What was he supposed to say, 'So, you know Juleka..' or 'How about this weather, huh'? 

In the ensuing quiet, Luka begun playing a small ditty, gradually building up the notes. It was pretty nice with such a slow and steady pace that Nino found himself swaying a little. He opened his mouth to compliment it but Luka interrupted him, sheepish. "Sorry, I understand music a little better than words." 

"No, it's cool, dude. I kinda get it." 

"I just find I'm not all that good at starting conversations. Here, let me show you." 

The notes became more frequent, tied together with neat flourishes as Luka moved seemingly from one fret to another. Nino's hands drummed out the beat on the back of his seat, nodding along. For some reason, it reached out to Nino's soul, hushing the growing nervousness inside his head and replacing it with the relaxed vibe he was used to. The oddly familiar melody hummed through the speakers, rocking the boat ever so slightly on the water due to the volume.

"It's good." Nino voiced, grinning. 

"Thank you." Luka replied, drawing the almost-song to a close with one more chord. Its sound lingered, vibrating through the floorboards. "That's what I heard inside your heart." 

"Huh. So, this is like my soul song or something?"

"Pretty much. It's basically what you sound like to me." Luka said, shrugging.

"That's neat." Nino praised, wanting to cringe at his choice of words. 

"You're into music, right?" Luka queried. 

"Yeah, man. I mostly mix it for my DJ gigs but I can play." Nino replied as he mimed rocking out on a guitar. 

Luka chuckled, breaking into the biggest smile Nino had seen on him. "Maybe we can jam together sometime." He offered. 

"I'd like that." Nino smiled back. 

The rehearsal went on swiftly after their conversation, though it seemed it wasn't entirely over as Luka came to talk to Nino during the break, standing at the snack table with a bag of mixed sweets. 

"I forgot to ask earlier but what type of music are you into?" 

Nino rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh, well... I like techno, I guess? This gonna sound kinda lame but I've not really thought about what my specific type is. I just like music really." 

"That's okay! I just like music too." 

"Mainly rock, though?" Nino asked, jerking his head to where Kitty Section's instruments lay. 

Luka laughed. "I guess so." He said, offering the sweet bag to Nino.

Gingerly, Nino picked out a couple of gummy fish. 

"Any guilty pleasure songs?" Luka prompted, chewing a piece of red liquorice.

Nino bit his lip. "Uhhh, probably dude but I can't remember any right now." 

He fumbled for a pen before grabbing a napkin to scribble down his number. "Here. We should figure out when we're jammin'." Nino told Luka as he gave it to the bassist. 

Luka did the same, replying "It's only fair."

* * *

Later, when the day had become evening, Luka received a phone call. 

"Sweater Weather." Nino said, as opposed to hello.

Luka stood still on the other end, not speaking for a minute. He then replied "I like that song too but I'm not really sure what you mean by...?" 

Nino laughed quietly. "It's a guilty pleasure song, dude. I remembered." 

Luka chuckled. "Oh, I see! Well in that case, I'll have to go with anything by Five Seconds of Summer."

"Wait, dude, seriously?!"

"Yeah... My favourite is Vapor." Luka admitted, laughter dancing behind every word.

Nino snickered. "Well, I like Vengaboys, especially We Like To Party." 

"Oh, what?!" Luka cried out, muffled by the palm of his hand as he covered up his giggles. 

" _New York to San Francisco... An intercity disco._ " Nino crooned down the phone, causing Luka to retaliate.

" _I want to print our hands in the pavement. Savour your words, I won't ever waste them_."

"Okay, what about Muse? I bet you're into them." 

Luka huffed, grin stretching wider. "That's not fair. They're my favourite." 

"Ha, I knew it!" 

The conversation ended up being two hours longer than it would've been initially. Not that either of them cared, too focused on discussing music and all its cadences. 

* * *

When Carapace next arrived on patrol, he was certainly surprised to see Ladybug and Chat Noir standing on the roof of Le Grand Paris with the other heroes, even the ones who had barely been out and about like Roi Singe. "Ah, Carapace!" Their leader greeted warmly, waving him over.

"Hey, dudes. What's up?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest to give them something to do other than awkwardly hanging at his sides. 

"Chat and I were thinking that we should show the others patrol etiquette since there's so many of us now." Ladybug said, gesturing to the gaggle behind her. They all waved with varying degrees of joy, some more reserved than others. Viperion's friendly two-fingered salute grabbed Carapace's attention, prompting him to return it with a small smile. 

"LB and I have come up with a small idea. For the next few weeks, we each take a small group on patrol on Paris until they get the hang of things. Then, we put them into the rota." Chat informed, leaning his baton against the back of his neck and shoulders. 

Carapace shrugged. "Sounds like a plan." 

"Great! So, you're with Pegasus and Viperion." Ladybug stated. The aforementioned heroes stepped forward and the trio took off into the night, leaping from building to building. 

When they had to catch their breaths, Carapace took them to the Eiffel Tower. leaning his back against the railings of the tower. The lights of the city were hazy in the fog but beautiful nevertheless. Viperion commented about them quietly, mentioning "I bet they look better on clear nights." 

"Probably." Carapace said, taking in the little glowing specks as slowly as possible. 

A car horn echoed in the distance, followed by another trumpeting back. 

"Well, they would in theory. For all we know, those lights are simply streetlamps." Pegasus suggested, craning his neck to offer one glance at the city beyond. The other two considered this notion lightly before Carapace piped up again.

"They're still kinda cool, man." 

Viperion nodded. "Besides, there's some beauty in the simple lamppost." He muttered.

"I guess there is, dude." Carapace grinned, appreciating the small flickers across the horizon more than he had before this moment. 

"I'll try and find a better place to see them, next time." He added. 

The slightly crooked smile that Viperion responded with followed Carapace into his everyday life, resurfacing in between other thoughts during his classes or dinner or as he lay awake some nights. 

* * *

Nino and Luka had total of five jam sessions before they called and texted each other freely about things outside of their bubble of music. It began with well wishes towards their respective days before segueing to good nights and then "I hope Chris doesn't keep you too busy" or "The song sounds great so far, dude!" 

It was such a small thing that Nino hadn't noticed how happy it made him until Wayzz mused "You and Luka are becoming good friends."

"I like to think we are, Little Guy." Nino chuckled. 

His eagerness to sit in on more Kitty Section rehearsals didn't really surprise his friends much who had obviously noted the budding closeness. Marinette had taken to saying "We'll see you there!", knowing by now that Nino would likely be aboard the Couffiane's boat much sooner than the rest of them. 

Especially when Luka texted during lazy afternoons with a message like _I kind of need some help. Can you come over, sort of urgently?_

Nino made his way over to The Liberty as quickly as he could, after determining that yes, it wasn't an emergency as such but more of a bind Luka had gotten himself in. Truth be told, Nino was more shocked by the fact that it was Luka in a predicament, given his record of being virtually flawless in Nino's eyes. He was greeted by Juleka at the door. Her shoulders rose in concealed laughter as she managed to murmur "Luka's hiding in the bathroom." 

Nino thanked her, more than a little bit confused, as he slipped down the hallway and entered the bathroom. He took great care to gently shut the door afterwards. "So, dude, what was so... urgent?" He asked, before turning around.

Luka's lowered head was covered by a fluffy black towel which was clung by both is hands, keeping it upright and to prevent it slipping. The flickering, dim bulb above him didn't help Nino see much else, though there were some semi-open bottles perched on the sink.

Nino tilted his head, scrunching his nose. "Did you injure your-?" 

The sentence died on his tongue before giving way to giggles when the towel was removed with a pained flourish and raised head. Luka's vividly pink face contrasted his hair. His dark purple hair. 

"I got my dye and Juleka's mixed up!" Luka squeaked, scrunching the towel up nervously in to the palms of his hands and looking like he wanted to stuff his face into it. 

"Oh no!" Nino gasped (both for air and to tease). 

"Nino, it's a disaster!" Luka grumbled, briefly allowing a pout to cross his face before he began to smile too. 

Nino's laughter subsided slowly. "You're always surprising me, dude." 

"I guess I could say the same about you." Luka grinned while Nino scoured a cabinet for the correct dye. 

Eventually, after two more cabinets and roughly three Google searches, they were able to get Luka's hair to become a nice indigo shade. Juleka remarked that it was a good colour on her brother and Nino had to agree wholeheartedly. 

Especially when Luka ran his fingers delicately through his hair and mussed it a touch more than the hairdryer had. 

* * *

An akuma ran amok somewhere within the school and Nino was having a difficult time finding somewhere to take cover in order to transform. At least he had ascertained that the akuma itself was an irate student shrieking about an undeserved fail on some assignment. The entire building shook, unsettling the walls and ceilings so much that bits of debris crumbled from them. Nino cursed and rolled out away from a particular large chunk's collision course. He narrowly missed it but had to get pushed out of the way for the second unseen one. His saviour untangled themselves from him, apologising before offering a hand up. Nino was presently surprised to see Viperion. He took the hand, strengthening his grip as he was hoisted upwards. 

Before Nino could thank him, Viperion said "You should take cover." 

The snake-themed hero then gave Nino a brilliant grin before ushering him in the direction of the staff room and leaping into battle. 

"I... Uh..." Nino babbled in the direction Viperion had gone, blaming his lack of words entirely on the battle at hand and absolutely _not_ because of the slightly disarming grin. 

Still, people did mention that Carapace had seemed almost distracted during the akuma fight, though he never confirmed if it was true in any interviews. 

* * *

Returning home from patrols without being seen was a mixed bag for the heroes, now that winter had solidly crept up on them with slippery surfaces composed of frost. This often led to Carapace edging his way through his bedroom window and dropping his transformation as soon as his feet touched his carpet. On a particular November evening, he was lucky to time it when he did. His brother Chris chose the exact moment after to knock on the door excitedly before rushing in anyway, barely giving Wayzz time to hide. 

"Nino, you promised we could watch some films earlier." He declared, bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently. 

"Uh uh, I said later." Nino chided jokingly, waggling his finger the way Mère did. 

Chris started to whine in protest that it was later when Nino's phone buzzed with a text message. Closing his mouth, Chris' eyes squinted quizzically as his older sibling hurriedly typed back a response. 

"What?" Nino prompted, noticing Chris' look. 

"Oh, nothing." Chris replied carefully.

"Really?" Nino prompted, raising an eyebrow.

"Who are you texting?" Chris asked, attempting to phrase it casually. 

_Aha, there it was._

Nino shook his head, barely able to conceal his eyeroll. "A friend."

"Yeah, but is that a friend or 'a friend'?" 

Nino decided to ignore that question by offering his own. "So… what film did you want to watch first?" 

"Alright, 'a friend' then. This isn't over, Nino." 

Though Chris had moved on once Moana was playing, Nino kept thinking back to what his brother had said. Yeah, Luka was his friend but it didn't really go that much further... _Right?_

* * *

Something had happened between Adrien and Marinette during the winter holiday. Neither would specify exactly what but both confirmed that it made them better friends which frustrated Alya to no end as she had certainly wanted the pair to have become more. She brought this up as often as she could, especially during the downtime in Kitty Section's rehearsals. 

"It'll happen when it'll happen." Nino comforted her, slightly bemused by the whole thing. 

Alya huffed, gesturing to where Marinette was leaning against Adrien's shoulder as she sketched, chatting away with the widest smile on her face. "They're practically a couple anyway! I don't get it." 

It was then, as there was a pause to look at Marinette teasing Adrien and then at Luka, Nino remembered Alya saying that the bassist had a crush on the designer. He briefly worried that Luka wasn't over her before he recalled how pleased the fellow musician would get whenever Marinette made progress with Adrien. Nino supposed that Luka had moved on, though he didn't want to assume too much yet. He realised he had zoned out of the conversation but thankfully hadn't missed much. 

Nino refocused to see Luka's brow pinched in a light, pensive frown, slowly stopping his warm-up bass strumming. "Maybe she confessed to him and he turned her down?" 

"First of all, Marinette might be more talkative around him but she wouldn't be able to confess to him yet. Second, Adrien totally has feelings for her. I bet he just doesn't realise he has them yet." Alya explained, propping her chin up with her palm. 

"That makes sense." Luka mused, returning to the song he was using to check if his instrument was in pitch. 

It was quiet and simple at first, lost amongst the other sounds vibrating throughout the Liberty such as Rose's vocal trills and snippets of laughter. Then, as Luka caught Nino's eyes, it grew louder and more complex where Luka peppered in small riffs just for fun. All the while, Nino lightly moved to the invisible beat, causing Alya to roll her eyes good-naturedly. It didn't last for very long but was still enjoyable nevertheless. It gave Nino time to appreciate Luka's skills and the fact he had decided to keep dyeing his hair the indigo shade they had created together. 

"I'm gonna see if Anarka wants some help with those chairs. Have fun, you two." Alya declared as soon as the last note was played. 

The duo blinked in confusion, briefly considering what she meant. Luka moved on much quicker than Nino had as he held the electric guitar out to the DJ. "Want a turn?" He offered bashfully. 

"Uh... Yeah!" Nino replied, taking the instrument and attempting to readjust to its weight as carefully as he could. 

One chord was played before Nino guiltily smiled at Luka. "You're gonna have to bare with me, dude. It's been a few months since I properly played stuff like this." 

"Take your time. Music is the flow of the soul after all. Play whatever comes from it." Luka insisted earnestly, gently guiding Nino's hand to another chord before he pulled away and sat opposite his fellow musician. 

Nino wore a small smile and started to play again. The song drifted naturally through the air and didn't sound too shabby for someone who was fairly rusty. In any case, it caused Luka to smile, tapping out the missing drumbeat on his knees. Nino nodded his head along appreciatively, strumming with a small hum. He only stopped again to ask for some paper to scribble the chords down which Luka readily provided, having come to the same idea. 

"I think we've got something good here, dude." Nino praised excitedly. 

Luka was quiet for a moment, briefly reading over what they had written so far. Every other line, his eyes flickered over to Nino, ignited by a vivid joy that the other knew he couldn't quite phrase except as a simple "Yeah, we do." 

Nino beamed brighter at this, silently revelling in the vibrato of Luka's voice: soft, bright and filled with a kindness that warmed people. 

Unknown to Nino, Alya watched them interacting from beside the rest of the band with a small smirk, having seen something about their bond that neither had yet. 

* * *

From where he was sitting on the bridge, Carapace could dangle his feet over the edge as he took a breather while making sure he didn't accidentally hit any of the love locks. The steady gushing of the water below helped to establish a serene soundscape, completed by the hero's nonchalant whistling. 

It just so happened Luka was crossing during that moment, texting with one hand and carrying a white paper bag in the other. The hero spoke to the civilian, getting his attention by commenting "Dude, it's kinda late for you to be out right now."

Luka, looking up from his phone, raised an amused eyebrow. "It's six-thirty." 

Carapace shrugged. "It's still dark, dude." 

While this statement was indeed true, the lights in the surrounding area were all glowing pleasantly to the point where shadows paled and the water under the bridge had a small sparkle to it while flowing past. Furthermore, as Luka pointed out, the Liberty was only a two minute walk away, anchored in the distance. Even so, Carapace hopped from his perch and strolled by Luka's side. 

"You seem pretty chilled out for someone that's talking to a superhero." Carapace commented, smirking a little. 

Luka snorted lightly. "Heroes are pretty common nowadays, don't you think? Besides, I think you're pretty chill." 

"Huh, really?" Carapace responded, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully and internally wondering which statement he was replying to. Now he felt slightly dumb, hoping his slight wince wasn't too obvious.

Luka didn't seem to mind and simply said "Yep." 

Carapace let silence hang about for a minute before he queried "What were you doing out, if you don't mind me asking?" 

Luka turned the paper bag around so that the turtle-themed hero could see the Dupain-Cheng's bakery logo emblazoned upon it. "Their food is nice." He shrugged, offering the bag to Carapace so that he could sample some of the goods. 

Carapace gladly took a handful of mini macarons, chewing them as politely as possible for someone who hadn't eaten dinner yet. 

"What about you?" Luka then asked in return. "Besides patrolling, what brings you out tonight?" 

Carapace pondered this himself, popping another macaron in his mouth. "A friend of mine said that there's probably a better place to see the city lights than from up the Eiffel Tower. I've been trying to find it for a few months or so." 

They came to a stop upon seeing the Liberty, its lights glowing warmly from inside and encompassing the surrounding area with a pleasantly homely (and chaotic) aura.

Luka stated "I hope you find it." 

"Me too." Carapace said with a bashful smile. He waved the civilian goodbye before taking off, briefly considering turning around and asking where Luka considered the best place.

* * *

"Something interesting happened on my way home yesterday." Luka stated casually during their jam session, causing Nino to look up from the guitar he was idlily playing. 

"Really?" He asked, keeping his voice as light as possible and holding back a smirk. 

"Yeah. I ran into Carapace on the bridge and he walked me the rest of the way." 

"Huh. What was he like, dude?" Nino pressed. He hoped he sounded nonchalant despite the eagerness brimming through him. 

A strange, almost secretive smile lit up Luka's face, accompanied by a small laugh. "Nice." 

Nino paused to see if his friend would continue and was vaguely disappointed when Luka simply moved to sit beside him. "That's cool. Do you know why he was there or...?" 

"He mentioned something about finding the best place to see the lights around Paris." Luka replied, voice in a lightly teasing lilt that Nino didn't understand the purpose of. 

"Where's that then?" 

"I happen to think that the view from Hôtel de Ville would be great. Probably when the sunlight hits it." Luka admitted wistfully. 

Nino kept this in mind, just in case he needed it for future reference. 

* * *

For all the quiet jokes about his obliviousness to Marinette's feelings, Adrien was surprisingly perceptive when it came to other people's - particularly Nino's. 

"You and Luka have become pretty close." He observed during their next class. 

Nino nodded. "Yeah, I guess we have." 

"You should ask him to get a coffee or something." Adrien replied so lightly that it almost seemed innocent.

Nino gaped at his best friend, trying not to think about the small blush that lightly heated his cheeks. "Oh, you meant like..."

"Meant like what, Nino?" Adrien asked in the same tone as before. 

"Never mind…" 

While he didn't deny it, Nino certainly didn't confirm he had those kind of feelings until a few days later when he phoned Adrien in a mild panic. He was flopped on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he listened to Adrien saying "Well, what do you want to do about them?" 

This caused Nino to pause, mouth fumbling open and closed without words leaving it. His eyes drifted over to where his photographs were hanging. Since the break-up, there were a lot less of them, given the romantic nature to the previous majority. He had toyed with replacing the missing ones but always came to a loss when shuffling through his collection. He wondered if it was time to take some new ones, once he sorted his feelings out which were currently as messy as the discarded pile of photographs cluttering his desk. 

"I don't know." He settled for, sighing in frustration at himself. 

Thankfully, Adrien had the patience of a saint. "Hey, that's okay. You don't have to act on them, Nino." 

Nino sat up, rubbing a hand down his face and sighing once more. Sadly this time. "Yeah, dude. I get that but I kinda want to tell him. It's just... part of me is just worried that I've moved on too quickly." 

"Personally, I don't think you have. It's been at least six months and that's not counting the fact that you both felt your love was becoming much more platonic." 

Nino nibbled at his lower lip, thoughtful. Wayzz patted his hand consolingly from where perched on Nino's knee. 

The lack of response on the other end caused Adrien to continue. "If you wanted to act on it, would you want me there as support?" 

"Yeah." Nino replied quietly before quipping "But without the earpiece this time." 

Adrien laughed. "Got it. Well, you know I'm right here if you need me." 

"Thanks, bro." 

* * *

Nino arrived to the Liberty an hour early as per usual and was surprised to see Alya was already present, talking to Jukela and Rose. He bid them hello and Jukela quietly informed him "Luka's gone to go get some snacks."

"And I'm filling these two in on the latest Adrienette gossip." Alya added with a wink. 

Nino shook his head in amusement. "Of course."

By now, it was common knowledge to pretty much all of Paris that Marinette and Adrien were officially a couple, confirmed by the pair themselves on their social medias with a photograph of them on a romantic picnic. Rose and Juleka were among the first to know (obviously along with Nino, Alya and the rest of their friends, including Luka) long before the photograph but they still enjoyed hearing Alya recount the story of how the long-awaited came to be, especially since Rose was a romantic soul and Juleka liked hearing her girlfriend gush about it. Nino noted that the story had come to its conclusion when Rose gently led Juleka away after quickly saying "I'm just getting Jukela to touch up my makeup!" 

At first, Nino wondered why Rose would need makeup on underneath her costume's mask before it dawned on him that it was an excuse to ensure he and Alya were alone together, meaning that the reporter wanted to talk to him. He cleared his throat and prompted her with a "So..." 

She briefly beamed, leaning on the railings of the Liberty with her arms. "I was just wondering how you've been doing, Cappie." 

He shrugged. "Alright. What's up?" 

"You tell me, DJ." Alya insisted, raising her eyebrow an inch. 

Nino averted his eyes, silently cursing her sleuthing instinct and worrying he was too obvious when it came to Luka. "I have a crush on someone." He admitted quietly, tugging at a loose thread on the hem of his shirt.

"Hey, that's great! Who is it?" Alya asked eagerly. 

Nino looked up at her in surprise. "Huh?" 

"C'mon, you can tell me." She replied, gently jostling him by bumping their shoulders together.

"Luka." 

A knowing smile crept on to her face. "I kind of figured. You two would be cute together." 

"And you're not...?" Nino started to worry before trailing off at the offended eyeroll Alya gave him. 

"Nino." She began firmly. "We dated over half a year ago. I'm fine. We've moved on." 

"I just didn't want to hurt your feelings, Al." 

Alya's face softened and she squeezed her friend's shoulder gently. "And that's really sweet of you but you don't have to sacrifice your happiness at my expense." 

She pulled him into a one-armed hug as she went on to advise "You should tell him." 

Nino cleared his throat, attempting to play off the slight blush on his cheeks. "Ha, maybe." 

"Something tells me he'll say yes~" Alya singsonged, somewhat smug. 

Nino scoffed lightly. "I don't even know what to say..."

"Try serenading him." Alya teased.

Nino placed his embarrassed face into his palms, muffling a whine as Alya snickered. "The worst thing is I'm actually considering it." He mumbled, peeking at her delighted smirk.

"Good. He'd love that. You let me know how it goes." She murmured, patting his arm lightly as the others appeared from nearby with Luka in tow. 

Nino was incredibly thankful for the pep talk yet also faintly worried Alya would flash a 'Tell him!' sign at him for the duration of the rehearsal. He was grateful she just shot him a meaningful look and a thumbs up from behind Luka's shoulder, urging him on in one of the many ways she knew best. 

* * *

Reasonably, Nino hadn't pictured an akuma would factor into his confession. 

It had seemed there would be the usual run-of-the-mill antics, especially from an akuma cursed with the power to sprout plants and the name Greenthumb. The catch was that Greenthumb could force barbed vines to erupt from the ground, rupturing pavements in his wake and littering them with a plethora of vividly coloured flora that varied in size from quite big to as large and looming as skyscrapers. As if wasn't caution enough to stay as far way as possible, the vines' barbs contained a kind of poison that forced whoever so much as grazed them to become a deformed plant creature because _of course they did_ , Nino griped. The unfortunate few were covered in leaves the same way a lizard has scales and had either flowers, fruits or vegetables emerging from the bush where their foreheads were supposed to be, each one twitching unnervingly of it's own accord. Industrial buildings were being ripped apart to become makeshift plant boxes for Greenthumb's abominations, serving as makeshift bases for their operation which Nino was fairly certain was a war against manmade items as a whole. While Nino liked to think he was as eco-friendly and environmentally aware as possible, this really wasn't the way to go in terms of improving the planet. He transformed quickly before narrowly outrunning what had once been a particularly irate Chloé, now reduced to an amalgamation of a venus flytrap and a prickly cactus. 

Carapace eventually came across Viperion on the bridge with all of the lovelocks, battling with a swarm of formerly-humans that each had a cluster of flowers on their brow. Their leader appeared to be the one sporting red carnations, while his cohorts had either peonies or some other type that the turtle hero didn't have the knowledge to identify properly despite being so close and within the fight.

"How are you holding up, dude?" Carapace asked, standing back to back with Viperion. 

There was a quiet grunt before the snake hero replied "Pretty well. All thing's considered. You?"

"Peachy." Carapace grimaced, emphasising the statement with a strong smack of his shield against the flowery pack leader's face. 

The pair threw a few punches - landing a few hits that send petals scattering like confetti- before agreeing that it would be best to run for it, given how many there were. Vines were soon sliding across the buildings in the distance, hurrying the superheroes along. Greenthumb's mocking laugh tinkled from nearby as the vines proved hard to evade, bursting free from everywhere they could. Desperately, Carapace's eyes scanned the surrounding area to get a rough estimate of how many writhing plants were at their heels as well as how close the akuma was. Thankfully, Greenthumb was not within breathing distance but his plants were getting dangerously near, slithering to the ground with sharp thorns glinting menacingly in the sun. It was only a few more steps and then the pair would be a spitting image of their wounded foes. 

Determination flashed in Carapace's eyes. He raised his shield high in the air and yelled "Shell-ter!" 

The luminous green force field managed to help Carapace create a clear path as the nearest vines withered away in time for him and Viperion to sprint to safety, right as Ladybug and Chat Noir swooped in. The snarl in the akuma's voice suggested that this was not the first encounter as did Chat Noir's snarky pun "Bugaboo, this guy sure is a pain in the _grass_!"

"You're telling me, Chaton! I wish he'd turn around and _leaf_..."

Greenthumb gave chase to Ladybug and her partner, causing his floral accomplices to follow suit very quickly. A shrill beeping interrupted the pair left behind as they caught their breaths . A serious sort of expression overtook Viperion's face as his brow pinched tightly in a frown. "You'll need to detransform soon, right?" 

"Yeah. Didn't realise this space was so open though." 

Viperion looked around, eyes narrowed warily, before he turned to Carapace and asked rather suddenly "Do you trust me?" 

Carapace nodded firmly. 

"Alright, come with me." Viperion insisted quietly, grabbing his friend's wrist gently as he began to run towards a very familiar boat docked by the bridge. 

The Liberty had been spared from Greenthumb's rampage, still triumphantly afloat. A porthole window had been left open a sliver and Carapace briefly wondered if it was to allow cool air to flow into whichever room lay beyond it. Hurriedly, Viperion yanked it wider before ducking inside, ushering a nervous Carapace after him. "Dude, are you sure we should...?" The turtle hero whispered hesitantly.

His miraculous chirped warningly for the third time. 

"The owner won't mind, believe me." Viperion called back, chuckling a little. 

Carapace tiptoed his way through and felt a jolt of fear run through him while stumbling over a bright orange amp, forcing the realisation of whose room it was to kick in. The feeling continued to brim anxiously in his gut as he spied the bass guitar laying haphazardly on the neatly made bed and the instruments peeking out from the adjacent hall. Carapace's back was up against a poster but he didn't have to turn around to know it was of Jagged Stone. Just as he was contemplating what excuse he would offer his friend ("I'm not actually Nino, dude! I'm his twin..." definitely wouldn't fly), Carapace looked at Viperion. His friend had delicately placed the bass atop the pillow so that there was room to sit down and was looking patiently back, resting his chin against his left palm. 

"How do you want to do this?" Viperion asked. 

"Huh?" Carapace blurted out, brain still stuck on imagining Luka gawking in both awe and trepidation at the hero dropping his transformation. 

"Do you need me to drop my transformation first?" 

"Woah, wait! You'll just reveal yourself. Just like that?" Carapace spluttered, faintly aware that he was dangerously close to doing the same. 

"Well, yes... Sorry, I assumed we were on the same page and kind of knew who each other was." Viperion responded, lowering his head with a guilty frown. 

Squinting, Carapace took in Viperion's caring expression before his eyes drifted to the lute hanging idly. The cogs in Carapace's head finally began turning accordingly as he connected Viperion's musical prowess with the musician he knew well. His panicked mind attempted to put it down to coincidence before memories of conversations about Paris' lights connected together, coinciding with puzzling smiles and two voices that shared a bright, calming melody. 

"If I wasn't before... I could be now." Carapace admitted slowly.

The final shriek of warning lingered as an emerald light bathed its glow around Carapace and left Nino standing in his place.

Viperion beamed before uttering his detransformation phrase. "Sass, Scales Rest." 

A similar glow surrounded Viperion. Wayzz and Sass nodded at each other before drifting into the hallway, deciding their owners needed to talk things over in private. Nino cleared his throat and murmured "You're Viperion." 

"Yeah. And you're Carapace." Luka replied, flashing a small, nervous smile. 

Awkward silence stifled the quick burst of joy Nino had felt at seeing Luka's reveal, allowing a sense of uncertainty to pick away at him. He paced a little in an attempt to come up with something to say, creasing the rug slightly, before he stood next to the bed with his arms folded tightly as if to secure himself. 

"How long have you known?" Nino asked, eyes pointedly focusing on Luka's array of guitar picks adorned on the opposite wall. 

Luka himself shifted to the edge of his bed, nervously gripping his knees as he mumbled "I had my suspicions but I didn't know per se..." 

Nino nodded somewhat stiffly before finally turning to look Luka in the eyes. "So... Are you disappointed?" 

"No! Why would I...?" Luka began to object. He fumbled on his words and cast his gaze away with a grunt of annoyance as he attempted to explain again. His words fell short again and he sighed. 

Nino's face softened. He plonked himself down at Luka's side, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Good. I'm not either." 

Luka glanced at his friend, biting back a grin. "I forgot to say earlier, thank you. For helping me out back there." 

"Oh, yeah. Of course." Nino shrugged. 

"Let me know if there is anyway I can repay you." Luka added bashfully. 

Nino giggled a little before he thought of something. He took a deep breath in before suggesting "Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to see a film sometime?" 

Luka flushed. "As a date? Sure." 

"Alright, cool!" Nino exclaimed before he could stop it. 

Both of them laugh at it so much, they had fallen onto their backs and were now staring up at the ceiling. Faintly, the miraculous cure is heard sweeping through the city outside. 

"I did mean it, though." Luka said quietly, eyes locking with Nino's own. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome." Nino rolls on to his side as he then adds "This is gonna seem really freakin' obvious but I like you." 

Luka's face lit up. "Like me?" He asked, pretending to be utterly confused. 

Nino snorted. "Alright, I have a crush on you." 

"Alright, cool!" Luka mimicked, earning a light punch to the shoulder. He chuckled. "I suppose it's obvious that I 'like' you too." 

"Well, you did agree to go on a date with me." Nino smirked. 

"Maybe more in the future?" Luka offered, rolling onto his side as well. 

Nino leant forward so that their foreheads rested against each other and their noses brushed. He smiled, whispering softly "I'll be your hero. I'll _shell-ter_ you."

Luka laughed and groaned at the same time, throwing his arm over his eyes. "That was an awful pun."

"Really?" Nino goaded, positively beaming. 

"Oh my God, definitely. Truly awful." He lowered his arm back down to smirk at Nino. The gap between them gradually becomes smaller and then smaller again as their lips met. A pleased hum warms every inch of Nino's soul before Luka giggled gently pulling away. 

"It was such a bad pun. If you make anymore, you'll start sounding like Chat Noir." 

"Aww, you'd love it anyway." Nino crooned, joining their hands together. 

"I would." Luka agreed, moving forward to close the gap again.

* * *

Hôtel de Ville was certainly a climb but two heroes braved it just to watch the sunrise up over Paris. This particular morning was bathed in luminous mixtures of oranges and pinks, fading into a brilliant blue as the minutes ticked by.The city began to start up properly with car horns trumpeting all around and people hurrying along to their own rhythms for the day. From the building's peak, Carapace gently placed his hand atop his boyfriend's. 

"You were right..." Carapace murmured, turning to appreciate the sunlight slowly spreading around Viperion.

"Oh? About what?" Viperion asked, though the pleased smile gave away he already knew the answer. 

Carapace replied anyway, grinning right back. "The view is beautiful up here.

"Alright, cool." Viperion joked. 

Carapace stifled a laugh, rolling his eyes. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Nope." 

"Figures." Carapace tutted lightly, leaning against the other hero.

Viperion let out a contented sigh before he queried "What time are we meeting up with Adrien and Marinette?" 

Carapace's brow creased in thought. "Three this afternoon by André's. Oh, I just remembered! Tomorrow is also when you met Mère and Chris properly."

"Ah, that's right. It's a good thing we're not on patrol until Monday." 

With that, the pair relaxed into an easy and comforting silence, taking in the last few hues of dawn by sharing a small paper bag of mixed sweets until it was time to leave to make a start on the day. 

After a quick race to the Eiffel Tower, of course. 

**Author's Note:**

> So...
> 
> This is just the result of me trying to combat writer's block and thinking about rarepairs in the fandom. Honestly, this pairing makes sense to me and now I can't help but ship it, whoopsie ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> I might write some more things with pairing, who knows. Maybe a follow up in Chris or Jukela's P.O.V? In the meantime, this helped get me out of my writer's block so that's great. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and stay safe all!


End file.
